


Victoria Chase's Special Presentation

by ProxyZee



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: BDSM, Beer, Blackwell Academy (Life is Strange), Classroom, Crime, Gen, Hacking, Humiliation, Lingerie, Panty Raid, Photography, Presentation, Revenge, Risque - Freeform, Sabotage, Stocking Mask, prank, sleep over
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2020-09-24 16:48:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20361811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProxyZee/pseuds/ProxyZee
Summary: Max Caulfield decides Victoria deserves a little humbling for recording Kate Marsh at a vulnerable moment.





	1. Chapter 1

Maxine Caulfield observed the dorm with quiet trepidation. Nervously, she gently bites her lip. She looks to her side, and sees her friend, punk, and dropout of Blackwell Academy, Chloe Price, gently nibbling on her thumb as she rests her elbows on the steering wheel of her truck. She looks to the dorm with nervous blinking though Max was almost certain she was looking to the dorm with a dead set mind on following through with a plan Max was already starting to regret suggesting. It’s not like she thought Chloe would hop on it, and refuse to let go.

“This is stupid, Chloe. We should go back.”

Chloe looks to Max with an irritated side glance.

“No fucking way! This was your idea!”

Max nods with quiet uncertainty. She still wanted to follow through with her plan, though she wasn’t sure if it was enough to overpower her reluctance.

“Yeah, and it was a dumb one. We’ll be in so much trouble if we get caught.”

“It’s only dumb if you don’t plan it, and we did. Warren came through with the drive, and we’re already here,” said Chloe with a confident smile. Max was a little surprised to see her friend’s expression change from the quietly frustrated kind. She must be trying her best to be convincing.

“Yeah and we’re not in there yet. We could drive.”

Chloe sighed. She quietly thinks to herself before looking to Max with a disappointed shrug.

“Well, just so you know. If you back out, you can go back in your room, but after a few minutes, I’m going in there.” declared Chloe with defiant determination. Max sighed as she looks away from the enthusiastic rebel to the side with a gentle nibble on her bottom lip.

“Look, the Queen Bitch has it coming to her. Kate was wasted, she knew it, and she made it viral anyway. We’re just making sure she gets a good humbling experience. If she doesn’t get one sooner, who knows where her attitude gets her. Not the kind of modeling she expects I bet.”

Max felt herself get a little heated when she thought of the video now stuck in the world wide web’s legacy, and Kate’s reaction to it. The devout Christian was going to have a hard time wiping that stain away. If that was even possible. After listening to the shy, blonde-haired student’s quiet weeping from her room. Max wasn’t certain that Kate herself was going to recover from it. Not for quite a long time.

Max looks to Chloe with a cold, furious glare. Not that she meant for it to be directed to Chloe, yet, Chloe seemed a little intimidated by it as her uncomfortable shuffling, and downward gaze show.

“Fuck her. Let’s do it.”

Chloe excitedly smiled at Max’s newfound enthusiasm.

“Now, that’s the Max I love most. Got the key?”

Max reached into the pocket of her dark blue jeans, and presented her dorm key to the blue-haired ex-student. Chloe smiled deviously.

“Well then, super criminal. Let’s get ready.”

Max nodded. She pulls out two pairs of translucent latex gloves and gives a pair to Chloe who slowly pulls them over her hands with a snapping sound. Max’s own dressing of her hands make the same snaps. She could feel her heart steadily beating faster as her breath hitched. The brunette wondered if Chloe felt like this whenever she snuck out at night to play with a boy or fill a bag if her stories were to be believed when Max brought up her plan. Maybe it was the punk image and dropout background that made it easy for Max to picture her friend as a crook.

She was about to exit the car when she felt a gloved hand on her shoulder. Max stopped and looked to Chloe with a questioning expression. She began to wonder if it was Chloe who was having second thoughts. She knew that to be unlikely.

“Hold up. I ain’t goin’ in there bare and neither are you,” she said as she reached a gloved hand into the pocket of her black leather jacket that made her look just a little bit more intimidating. Max couldn’t help but make a note to suggest black hair dye at some point later.

“Here,” said Chloe as she took a long, folded, sheer garment from her jacket. She dangles it in front of Max as it unfolds. Max could now clearly see that it was a nude stocking. She observed it with a raised brow.

“For your head,” she explained. Max nods as she takes it from her while Chloe pulls out her own stocking. Max had to use a little force to pull it over her face. She felt her face getting squeezed down as her perception of the world became shaded over to match the stocking’s colour.

“It’s tight!” exclaimed Max while Chloe pulls her own down over her face after taking off her black beanie, and setting it on the dashboard.

“If it weren’t, we might as well put saran wrap around our faces. Pull it up if you can’t see.”

Max follows her advice and pulls at the foot of the stocking atop her head. She felt her eyelids, nose, and lips being pulled up. She could now see quite a bit more clearly without her eyelashes in the way. She looks to Chloe. Her partner in crime was hardly recognizable with her distorted, ghoulish face.

“How do I look?” asked Chloe.

“Ugly.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

They both exit the truck and quietly begin to walk toward the front steps of the academy. Max briefly admired the shining stars in the clear night sky before focusing her attention to the dorm for Blackwell’s female student body on the left side. She gently taps her hand on the pocket of her black, zipped up jacket. Her heart begins to viciously race in her chest as she and Chloe approach the dorm while making sure to avoid any lamplights.

She felt the key ingredient to her revenge on Kate’s behalf safely tucked in. She smiles a twisted, toothy smile in relief.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe and Max prepare Victoria's drive for an interesting presentation.

“Okay, keymaster. Work your magic,” whispered Chloe as she and Max slowly crept up the steps to the dorm. Max slowly places the key into the lock, and slowly turns it while gently nibbling her bottom lip. She hoped the sound of the familiar click of the unlocking door to the girl’s dorm was not loud enough to awaken any student. Assuming they were all asleep.

Slowly, she opened the door. Wide enough for Chloe to easily slip in before she closes the door after taking a careful examination of the outside until she was confident enough that they didn’t have any unwanted passer-bys.

Behind her, Chloe quietly took out a small flashlight in her pocket that easily fits in her hand. She turned it on, and slowly moved the light around the all while making sure to avoid aiming it directly at the bottom of the doors. Max closely followed behind Chloe. She looked like a tall, roaming silhouette from behind, and Max was certain she probably looked like one too. She felt a little sympathy towards anyone who might wake up to see what a terrifying sight she and her tall friend must be. Well, anyone not Victoria anyway.

Chloe aims her flashlight towards the door to the room of Victoria Chase. The very first door at the right. Max looked around the hall while Chloe knelt down in front of the door while placing the flashlight into her mouth before she takes out a pin and torsion wrench from her jeans pocket. Slowly, she inserts the pin and wrench while she tightly bites on the flashlight through the stocking.

Max wondered how long this would take. If it took longer than she liked then she would suspect that Chloe was just fabricating a badass delinquent image after explaining her nightly escapades. She was now very much hoping that those stories were the truth.

Max checked her digital wristwatch. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t see, but a handy glowing feature she activated with a push of a small button on the top aided with that. She kept her focus on it while Choe worked on the lock with the occasional rough click. Each one made Max’s heart leap. She felt her hands getting wet in her latex gloves and her stocking mask getting a little moist from her sweat. Throughout the picking, she would take glances over her shoulder and to the sides in case someone was feeling awake this particular night.

After a few uncomfortable minutes, Max heard a soft click and Chloe felt her success when she pushed up the last of the series of pins within the keyhole. Max’s heart skipped a beat when she heard the click. She quickly looks around the hall. Thankfully, no sign of activity from the other girls.

Chloe turns her head toward Max. The sudden beam of the flashlight on her masked face made Max put an arm over herself to block it once she felt her eyes sting. Chloe quickly takes the flashlight out of her mouth.

“Sorry,” she whispered. Max lowers her arm and re-adjusts her eyes to the dark.

“Don’t worry about it.,” Max whispered back. Chloe stood up and slowly opened the door.

She lets out a quiet sigh in relief once she realized that this door was not giving a creak at all. Nothing but silence from it.

Chloe slowly and delicately raised the torch to examine Victoria’s room. Clean, neatly decorated with art posters that also had wire lighting around them. Now currently inactive. Chloe moved her light to some of the equipment around the room including the computer, Victoria’s personal smart camera, tablet, and stereo. All looked pretty valuable. Chloe estimated it all added up to the four thousand-five thousand price range. Ordinarily, she’d be bagging up as much as she could carry, and get whatever the highest street value was for them if the plan didn’t include making sure nothing was out of place.

The aqua haired punk turns her head toward Max. She silently places a finger to her lips in quiet instruction while Max nodded her head. Chloe gently stepped into the room as Max followed closely behind. Careful not wake the slumbering “Vortex Club Queen” in her bed. Chloe slowly moved the light toward Victora’s bed to notice her resting bump under the quilt followed by the sight of her blonde hair. Her back was turned to them as she slept on her side. Chloe smiled at the position. She felt quite lucky.

Max looked to Victoria’s resting form with sudden uncertainty. She made a dry swallow as she looked at her fellow student, dorm mate, and arch-rival. Slowly, she started to feel a little regret for entering, and for doing what she thought she was very prepared to do. Now she is uncertain about that.

She looks to Chloe who is clearly looking to her with an impatient expression despite the darkroom and the stocking. Her body language made that clear especially when she suddenly shot out both her arms to her side in a non-verbal way of expressing her confusion at Max’s hesitance.

Max takes a deep breath. She’s already come this far. With that in mind, she slowly closed the door to the Vortex Club leader’s room, and nodded to Chloe who gave her a curt nod back. Max quickly, yet, silently moved to seat herself at Victoria’s desk. She lifted up the top, and powered it up while Chloe took the liberty of searching through Victoria’s wardrobe.

Max couldn’t help but smirk to herself when she heard Chloe quietly wolf whistle behind her. Once the light of Victoria’s screen saver appeared, Max sighed to herself for readiness before she takes the drive out of her pocket. It was a USB drive with an exposed circuit board. She inserts it into the laptop and watched the automatic keystroke program install itself with the dark, familiar command prompt window opening automatically, and immediately filling the empty space with lines among lines among countless lines of data. Max checked her watch. 

This could take a while.

She watched Chloe quietly marvel at Victoria’s stupidly expensive wardrobe while she waited. Seeing Chloe place some of Victoria’s dresses over her clothes as well as her lingerie brought an amused smile to her considering Chloe’s usual punk inclinations. The Chic style seemed to actually suit her. Only with some of the darker coloured dresses of course.

Max turned her head when she saw the screen go to a lighter colour form the corner of her eye. The password had been cracked. She sighs to herself in relief before she searches Victoria’s desk for her personal USB. For a moment, Max was a little concerned about whether she would even find the device. Her gloved hands roamed around the desk. She started to feel a good deal more nervous. She should have figured Victoria would take better care of her valued photo storage.

Her hands continue to search until one of them accidentally brushes against the pencil jar. Chloe looks to Max with an alarmed glare when it made a rattle. Then both Max and Chloe looked to Victoria’s bed. No movement.

Max and Chloe both collectively sigh in relief. Max’s attention goes back to the pencil jar. She raises one brow curiously as she slowly picks up the jar, and slowly shake sit while Chloe nervously watches her friend make the quiet rattling noise. Max stops the shaking, much to Chloe’s relief, and gently tips the jar toward her hand. A small, silver stick falls into her latex covered palm. Max smiles triumphantly with a tight closing of her palm. She kisses her closed hand with her nylon covered lips before she takes out the hacking tool of a USB drive to replace it with Victoria’s. Chloe elans in close behind Max’s shoulder. She felt her friend’s hot breath at her ear while Max worked on inserting a secondary USB drive she took from her other jacket pocket: her own.

“Okay if I talk?” asked Chloe in a very hushed whisper.

Max looks over her shoulder to check on Victoria. Out like a light.

“Yeah,” whispered Max.

“I’m seriously fucking wet right now.”

Max stifled a giggle. Though she enjoyed hearing some of Chloe’s unexpected comments, she was in no mood to be on the verge of laughing. Too loudly anyway.

“Must be the adrenaline,” Max whispered.

Chloe nodded with an excited grin as she keeps her attention fixed on the laptop monitor.

“Yeah. Along with the estrogen, progesterone, testosterone.”

Max rolled her eyes. As much as she could anyway behind the heavy pressure of the stocking.

“Okay, hormone expert. Let’s try and focus.”

Chloe nodded as she saw Max open a folder on her drive. Her browsing through the various photographs stored in it, and the display of their graphic depictions made Chloe’s stomach turn a little.

“Yikes. Warren’s one sick puppy.”

“He just knows where to find this stuff.”

“Exactly.”

Max shrugs while she places the pictures from the folder into Victoria's photography folder. She makes sure to arrange them in a way that some of Warren’s choice photographs would be at the start of the long line of art. She browsed through them quickly. She had already studied them when Warren first gave her the drive anyway.

Her personal opinion? She had mixed feelings. It depended on the picture. Some inspired disgust, others amazement, some, arousing even. Either way, she knew she would definitely feel something tomorrow in class.

Chloe re-organizes Victoria’s wardrobe while Max carefully places Victoria’s USB drive back into the pencil jar before she pockets her own drive. She closes the lid on the laptop. Still no stirring from Victoria. Max felt impressed with herself.

She gives Chloe a small nod. Signalling her readiness.

“Let’s go.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe hideout in Chloe's room while having a little celebration.

"That was fucking awesome!"

Chloe ecstatically turned the ignition key in her truck before pulling her stocking mask up over her face until it was a cap on her head. Max did the same while taking a deep breath. Mentally thanking whatever God she wasn't sure to believe in that they managed to enter and leave Victoria's room without detection.

"We're like, two kick-ass fucking ninjas!" declared Chloe as she drove away from Balckwell. Max looked over the shoulder of her seat to see the academy grow more distant down the road with great relief. She turned around and leans into the seat with a deep, relaxing inhale.

"Fuck, I don't think I'm gonna sleep tonight."

"Me neither. My heart's racing so hard right now," said Max as she placed a hand over her chest to find out if she was right for certain. Then she felt her heart beating harder and faster than whenever the last time she felt it like this was. A time she couldn't recall.

"Hey, partner. About what you said? Not to take anything?" Chloe mentioned while nibbling her bottom lip. Max wondered if it was because she was nervous until she realized she was actually suppressing a wide grin.

"Uh, yeah?" said Max with concern. Now beginning to very much suspect that her friend did not abide by a certain rule.

"Well, what can I say?"

Chloe reaches a latex-gloved hand into her pocket. Max's eyes widen when she sees a sudden burst of red with black lace lined at the top from Chloe's pocket. The aqua haired punk proudly holds them with two of her fingers close to Max.

"I couldn't resist."

"A-are those panties!? You stole her panties!?"

Chloe smiled as she moved them away from Max a little once she saw that she got a good look at them.

"Well, look at 'em. All pretty 'n' red, 'n' lacey. Smells like she's been naughty with them too."

Chloe slowly takes a sniff from them with the intimate, tantalizing undergarments pressed against her face. While Max sinks into her seat as she cups her hands in her forehead.

"I know what you're thinking: "Chloe, you're a fucking idiot." but look at these. No way she wears them for a regular day on campus before sleeping in 'em. This is what you wear for your boyfriend's birthday or on Valentine's, and I'm pretty sure she has no boyfriend."

"That doesn't matter! We weren't supposed to take anything! What if she notices!?"

Chloe just gave Max a reassuring smile beaming with confidence as she pockets the undergarments. Max could not say that she was surprised Chloe would be so dismissive of her concerns.

"Relax! How likely is it she's going to check for them when the presentation is literally just a few hours away? Even if she did, she'll probably just think some pervert snuck in, and had a little raid."

Max rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms together. Thoughts of Victoria making the discovery of something personal being lost then canceling her presentation, and, perhaps, the entire campus day out of stress came to her mind. She wouldn't put the haughty young woman past it.

"Some pervert did sneak in," Max said with an undercurrent of frustration.

"But not a boy pervert," said Chloe with a nonchalant voice.

"Why'd ya show me them, anyway?" asked Max with a raised brow.

"Well, though the chances of it are astronomically fucking low, I wanted to own up to it sooner rather than later in case it went wrong. Which it won't. So that you won't be as pissed off when you find out later from now."

Max looked to Chloe with a blank stare before sighing and leaning back against the seat. She rolls down the window to feel the warm, night airbrush against her face, and wave around her hair that wasn't compressed by her makeshift stocking cap. Max thinks to herself before looking at Chloe who as currently in the process of lighting a joint in her mouth as she drove.

"I thought you liked boys?"

Chloe gives Max an amused smile as she ignites the rolled-up cannabis wrapped in paper.

"I do."

Max shrugs before she turns her head back to look outside her window. Content with watching the various streets, and scenic views Arcadia Bay was well known for. Views she used to be accustomed to, but seeing them now made her feel as though she was observing her hometown with a new perspective after all these years. Being a young adult gave her more of a grounded, more observable view of her environment she supposed. Noticing certain lights, smells, shades, living things, and, at this particular moment, stars she had hardly paid attention to for most nights. Though she hardly understood what she looked at above, she was almost certain that Warren would be able to chat her ear off about it.

"Looks like you're still getting used to bein' back."

Max turned away from her sightseeing to look at a smiling and curious Chloe. She hardly noticed the strong scent of burning marijuana in the van. Just from the second-hand smoke, she could feel herself getting a little light-headed. She nodded as she thought about her earlier years.

"Yeah. I'm not really sure if things here really changed much, but it still seems different somehow."

Chloe smiled as she passed her joint over to Max. Uncertainly, she looks to it before shrugging then taking a small inhale. Once she felt the hot burning in her throat, she immediately removed the joint from her lips, and hands it back to a chuckling Chloe.

"Maybe you just forgot what it's like to be a small hometown girl," said Chloe as she took a deep inhale from the joint with a relaxed experience. Much to Max's quiet envy.

"I suppose. Maybe I'm just not re-adjusted yet."

"Bet you didn't think re-adjusting would involve breaking into another girl's dorm, and fucking up her presentation, right?" asked Chloe with an amused smirk as she held the joint between her lips. Max nodded with a shy, uncertain smile.

"Uh, yeah. I don't think that counts."

"Not the side of hometown life you know anyway."

Max quietly nodded as she thought to herself about Chloe's statement. Despite the busy life of Seattle, her studies, new people, and, mostly, her disconnection from Chloe. She still often wondered about Chloe's life in Arcadia Bay, and how it unfolded since she left. From what she had discovered since returning: Chloe has had quite an interesting, delinquent life. Something she can not say she had much of. Not that she wished to get too involved. Tonight was just for Kate's sake.

"Alright, we're back. In through the window this time," said Chloe as she slowly parked the truck into the driveway. After taking out the keys, Max looked at her with a questioning expression.

"How do we get back in?"

"Have no fear, Max. Just follow my lead," A confident, certain, and experienced Chloe said as she turned off the truck's engine, and pulled the key out of the ignition to put in her pocket. She exits the truck and was soon followed by Max. They both slowly close the doors out of an unspoken sense of caution. Chloe beckons Max to follow her with a hand gesture. Max nods and quietly follows her with a crouching walk just as Chloe was moving. They enter the backyard where Max watched Chloe move a trash can to lean it against the wall of the back of the house directly underneath a window as quietly as she could.

The aqua haired punk steps onto it, and slowly pushes up the window before hoisting herself up to climb in. Max took her turn in stepping up to the bin while nervously looking down to make sure she wasn't making too much of a rattle. Quickly, she looked back up to the window after deciding that looking down was probably not a good idea. With dismay, she realizes that she's not quite tall enough to reach the window. Chloe looks down at Max with a humored grin.

"Aww. You're such a cute little stocking wearing burglar."

Max frowned up to her as she tried to reach the ledge with the tip of her toes only to find that she could only barely reach the ledge.

"Yeah, real funny."

Chloe extended her arm toward the struggling, shorter girl as Max took hold of Chloe's latex-gloved hand into her own.

"Don't feel too bad. Just poking you with fun," explained Chloe as Max was hoisted up toward the window. Chloe uses both of her hands to pull the petite girl inside before she slowly closed the window. Quickly, she takes the joint out of her mouth, and puts it out in her ashtray at the bedside table where she also kept the lamp she turned on by the power switch to give the room a little bit of light. Max looked around the room, and, in an odd way, she was impressed by how much of a mess it was: Discarded shirts, a desk littered with little cheap trinkets, various graffiti on the walls ranging from impressive to not so impressive, an empty piazza box on the floor Max had discovered with an accidental step on it, and various books in a small pile Max isn't sure Chloe read.

She looked to the various posters of punk and metal bands on the walls with some admiration for the designs. The edited and photographic aspects of them especially. She could feel a little inspired by the dark colours mixed with the minimal mist lights. She made sure to keep a mental note to research that kind of style later. For now, she was paying more attention to Chloe taking a beer bottle out of her mini-fridge. A beer bottle she was holding toward Max with a grin.

"Drink up, badass. We're celebrating."

Max hesitantly takes the green glass bottle in her gloved hand while Chloe gives her a bottle opener with a skull design attached to it. Max pulls the cap off, and gives the opener back to Chloe who walks back toward the mini-fridge for a drink of her own Max guessed.

"What abou-"

Chloe's steadfast voice interrupted her.

"Mom's a heavy sleeper, and David's even worse. I've done worse shit and got away with it. We're fine."

Chloe smirks as she opens her own bottle, and takes a large swig from it while Max takes a smaller sip.

"Besides, it'd be pretty funny for step-douche to walk in, and see us like this. I'd be tempted to pull this thing down over my face. He'd shit himself," she said as she gestured a finger to her stocking cap.

Max shook her head she took another drink.

"Not a good idea."

Chloe made a mock sigh with an equally mock frown before smiling again.

"Yeah, yeah. I'd rather stay as Arcadia bay's number one thief."

Max wasn't so sure if that was an accurate title. Considering the low level of crime here compared to many other places, certainly Seattle, she had to admit that it wasn't an unlikely claim.

"Perhaps."

Chloe gets a devious smile as she happily thinks to herself about the expected future.

"So, after Victoria freaks the fuck out, what's the plan?"

Max shrugs with a sigh.

"Hope she does't figure it out, and visit Kate."

Chloe leans against the wall as she takes a drink while thinking to herself.

"Mind if I come along?"

Max's eyes widened a little. She wasn't sure if Chloe was really that familiar with the Christian student. Her and Kate being known to each other as friends just seemed quite unlikely to her.

"Visit Kate?"

"Sure. She could use all the help she can get."

"Didn't know you two were friends."

Chloe shrugs.

"We're not. I just want to see the look on her face when we tell her about Victoria's shitshow."

"Oh," said Max with a small, and a hard to suppress smile.

"Thanks. That's... really nice."

"I like to think I have my moments," Said a suspiciously smirking Chloe as she reaches into her pocket.

"Hey, Max. I have something else we could celebrate with."

Max frowns, then widens her eyes in onset anxiety when she sees the familiar red sight.

"You go first," said Chloe as she tosses the lacey panties toward Max. Who stepped out of the way too quickly for them to make contact with her. She felt it definitive that she was in no mood to be having this game with Chloe.

"Chloe! Gross!"

Chloe chuckled as she picked them up, and repocketed them.

"Okay, sissy. Relax."

Max tried to keep herself stoic, but she found the act a little too humorous to snot smile at though it was not by much.

"You're such a pain sometimes."

Chloe smirks self-assuredly.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't be your friend if I weren't."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's presentation day in Blackwell's photography class. With a twist.

Max did the best she could to hide how nervous she was. She could feel herself sweating, but only by a tiny amount. So, she doubted it was very visible. When the class had started, she felt her body trembling which she had soon managed to stop. Mostly. Her hands were still slightly shaking, but it appeared that no one had noticed much to her relief. Much of her attention was spent on the blonde, preppy, and, as always. beautiful Victoria Chase who somehow managed to keep her make-up standard of a powdered face and light copper painted lips. She showed no sign of any unusual behavior. She was her typical confident, smarmy self. She did not even look at Max so far. Something she interpreted to be a good sign.

"The contrast of the bright, almost glowing sunflower contrasted against the backdrop of a raining day behind a window littered with raindrops encompasses the dualistic nature of the moods weather brings us. A contrast of happiness, growth, and nature's art against the dreary, grey and dull background behind it. I like to think of it as two styles of nature clashing against each other."

Max looked to her side when she noticed Victoria quietly snickering as Nathatan made a "jacking off" motion with his hand. The motion almost made Max smirk, but this was a fellow photography student she held some respect for that Nathan was mocking. It took a couple of more minutes for Evan to finish his review of his own photo before he ended the presentation with a "thank you" to his peers.

"Excellent work as always, Evan. I'm starting to consider saving you for last."

"Thank you, Mr. Jefferson," said Evan before he returned to his desk after taking his USB stick away from the class computer. The projection screen was replaced with a blank white, canvas-like image. Mr. Jefferson stepped from leaning against the wall to stand in front of his class as he scans them for the next presenter.

"Now, though you all may be feeling nervous: that doesn't mean your work is of a low standard. From what I've seen of all of you I know everyone here has potential. Speaking of which, let's have you up here, Victoria."

Smugly, Victoria smiled as she left her desk with a hand in her tight-fitting pants pocket to take out her USB, and plug it into the computer port. Max gently bit her lip in anticipation of what she knew was coming next while the Vortex Club leader confidently took a stand in front of the class. She places a hand on her hip while holding a remote control for the projector in the other.

"Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to my very special presentation. You'll soon find out why it's very special."

Max suppressed a grin. Victoria had no idea how right she was.

"I believe a fitting starting point for this special presentation is something had found almost immediately I left this classroom on the day we were told to prepare a presentation, and here it is."

She presses a button on the remote to begin the slide show with an innocuous photograph. A simplistic, yet, well-captured moment of Blackwell's busy hallway. Many of the students clearly paid no attention to the device used to take the photograph. Max rolled her eyes. Immediately, she knew what kind of presentation this was going to be.

"Here are my fellow students. Some among you, and some not. I decided to take these pictures because when I first saw this I knew immediately what my theme would be, and my theme for this presentation is community."

Max took notice of Mr. Jefferson quietly nodding his head. She could not help but feel a little envious of the approval Victoria was already getting from the role model. Victoria happily continued to present her picture with a proud smile and, Max had to admit, charismatic body language.

"As you can see, and presumably guess, this is just a small sample of what's at Blackwell. I had to go bigger. So, I decided to gather my fellow dorm mates for a collaborative project."

She presses the button again to show a photo of the gathered girl's dorm students outside the dorm on a bright day. All smiling. Even Kate Mars was included in it. She stood at the right side dressed in a black cardigan, white blouse, grey skirt, and white laced sneakers with white socks and sheer white pantyhose over her legs. As usual, her blonde hair was tied up in a bun and her lips were painted in a bright shade of red. She looked quite happy in the picture. Her smile bright, and revealing of her innocence. Max could not recall her looking like that the last time she had seen her. She could hardly wait for the upcoming moment when Victoria gets to her first out of place picture.

"I wanted to capture the image of sisterhood here, and I like to think I accomplished that. As you can see: the girls are all standing in close distance from each other. We're comfortable in each other's presence, and we should. We share the same home after all."

Max did her best to suppress the groan she felt wanting to escape from her throat as Victoria continued to present her project in her usual confident, bordering on a smarmy disposition.

"I'm not included in this picture because I didn't just want to self-insert myself into my art. I felt that'd too much of a distraction."

Max noticed she was also not included in the picture. She recalled seeing the group photo taking place, and Victoria standing away from them behind her camera. She could not say that she really minded not being invited to the group shot. She isn't completely certain she would have joined anyway. If she did, it certainly wouldn't have been for Victoria.

"This was a step up from a narrow, condensed hallway, but it wasn't entirely inclusive so I decided to go bigger. That's when I decided to use the face of Balckwell."

She presses the button to show a wide shot of the front of Blackwell. A large group of Blackwell's faculty and student body had gathered together with the entrance to the academy behind them. All with bright, polite smiles. Max guessed Victoria managed to get a little over a quarter of the whole school in the shot. Most of the photography class group excluding her and Evan. Max believed that for Evan it would be because he refused, and for her, it would be because of Victoria had no intention of including her. Not that she minded at all.

"Here I gathered students and staff alike for this shot. As you can see: there are dozens of Blackwell's hard-working and dedicated representatives here. Once again, I have decided not to be included in this image. For humble reasons, but it should be clear by now that, obviously, someone has to hold the camera."

The attention to Victoria was broken a little when an audible yawn from Evan drew the attention fo the class. Mr. Jefferson brusquely coughed with a glare tot he bespectacled student. Just as Victoria glared to him, but colder.

"As I was saying: I took the picture because art needs an artist. I like to think that as an artist I took particular care in this shot. Everyone was placed exactly as I needed them to be."

Max wondered dif Victoria would make a better film director than an artist. She noticed the placements of the students. The Vortex Club members in the shot were stood in front of the rest while the staff stood at the sides to be clearly visible. Max rolled her eyes in the intent that was plain to see. It was hardly a surprise.

"I wanted to present the trust between student and teacher here. Considering how comfortable everyone looks with being so close despite being in different clubs, different year groups, different homes among other things. I very well could have ended this presentation with this nice communal image, but I knew that Blackwell Academy had more potential than this. So, I took the liberty to-"

She stopped when she noticed the eyes of her classmates suddenly widen as if they had all been instantly hypnotized, and she was the magician. Victoria furrowed her brow with a flattered, yet, uneasy smile.

"Well, I'm pleased you find my work so captivating, my fellow-"

She turns her head to look at what had gotten them so mesmerized, and to her horror. She had found out exactly what.

"_What the fuck!?"_

Max looked around the classroom while trying to look as shocked as everyone else was. She noticed most of the students reacting with wide eyes and agape mouths. Some, like Nathan, Evan, Alyssa, and Stella quietly giggled once they got over the initial shock. Taylor, a long blond-haired girl widely recognized as Victoria's groupie, had a hand over her mouth with an uncertainty of how to react. Jefferson had a wide-eyed reaction, yet he still kept his composed body language with crossed arms.

Whatever Victoria's next picture was supposed to be: it was replaced by the iller fitting image of a young nude woman in a bright, light blue decorated bedroom with her hands in front of her, and tied together in ribbon. She was bound in front of a muscular, smooth-skinned young man in the nude with her head very suggestively close to his crotch. Her long brunette hair showed her real hair colour, but her face was obscured by a cropped image of Victoria's own head. It had a clearly edited, suggestive expression on it as her mouth was wide open and engulfing the man's member within it. Victoria quickly pressed the button. Only to find another explicit image. This one had a scarred, bruised, and nude female body strapped on to a metal table with her legs and arms suspended in the air by suspended cuffs attached to the ceiling with chains. Once again Victoria's face was imposed onto the woman's head. Again with an artificially placed expression of pleasure as a well-toned, young man thrust himself deep within her.

"Fuck, fuck!" Victoria stuttered as she kept pressing the button only to find more images of various women in varying states of undress and bondage. Some during intercourse and others not. All having the common trait of Victoria's added head atop the body of each woman. Eventually, she decided it would be a more effective idea to rip the USB out of the computer. The photo of her face pasted onto a bruised and bound woman's body who was laid on her back with multiple pleasuring instruments inserted into her private chamber. Mr. Jefferson looked to Victoria with an unamused glare.

"Very interesting, Victoria. But I'm not sure how some of your later work related to community."

Victoria looks to the bespectacled, disappointed teacher with a red face that seemed to scream desperation.

"I-I didn't! This wasn't me! Someone messed with my USB!"

Jefferson nods his head.

"Likely. Regardless, I'm sure you understand that this has created quite the awkward atmosphere. I think we can put this presentation day on hold for now. Stay with me after class and we can go report this."

Victoria nods before she seats herself behind the computer, and places her hands in her face. Jefferson walks to stand in front of the class.

"Okay, students. After this unexpected turn, I think it's time we made an early dismissal. Enjoy your early break."

They all leave the class while quietly muttering to each other in theorizing gossip. Not that Max bothered to pay much attention to it. She already knew the truth. She noticed Taylor walking toward Victoria with concern. The blonde gently placed a hand n Victoria's shoulder.

"Vic?"

"Don't touch me!" spat Victoria as she swatted the hand away. Taylor recoils back from her with an ashamed look. Clearly, regretting getting too close. Amidst the quiet giggling of Nathan and the chatter of the students in the hallway that was empty until they entered: Max wondered if she regretted making the move, she did the previous night. She looked to the group of students around her and recalled that Kate wasn't among them. She decided that she would be certain of how she felt after seeing her to inform the sheltered Christian of today's incident.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Chloe visit Kate. With unexpected results.

Max looked to the slowly growing orange hue of the sky as the sun had begun to set for her side of the world. She sighed to herself while pondering on taking a picture of this moment until she decided that Arcadia Bay had better vantage points for another day. She had watched the various female members of her dorm go inside the building as she waite outside of it while appearing as though she was up to nothing in particular. Not among them was Victoria or either of her two groupies. Max started to feel a little concerned for her. She could hardly believe it, but she hoped that Victoria did not take the humiliation she turned her presentation into too harshly. She only hoped to humble her.

She smiled when she noticed her tall, punk, aqua haired friend approach her casually with both hands stuffed into her pockets. She was dressed din her usual attire of ripped blue jeans, white shirt with a large flaming skull logo, black leather jacket, and the easily recognizable dark blue beanie and the three bullet pendant necklace around her neck. She approached Max with a small smile before she looked to the dorm. Seemingly in reflection of her past experience here.

"How'd it go? She freak out?"

Max nodded.

"A little."

Chloe frowned in disappointment as she turned her attention back to max.

"That's it? A little?"

"Well, it wasn't like she was overturning desks. She just got really red then riped the USB out of the computer."

Chloe still looked disappointed, but for a different reason.

"Shame I didn't see it."

She looks back at the dorm. Max follows her line fo sight, and turns her head to look at the front door to the dorm.

"Well, ready to make a charitable visit?" asked Chloe. Max looks to her with a nod.

"Then let's get going. I bet she'll be surprised to see me."

They leave the front yard to enter the dorm. Max reflected on the previous night as she inserted the key. Instead of the heart-pounding, she felt it beating much more calmly. Even if visiting the still reclusive Kate was making her a little nervous. She and Chloe walked through the empty hallway to stop outside Kate's dorm room. Max could not help but feel sorry for her having Victoria as a neighbor. She could only imagine how awkward that is. She frowns at the message elf ton her slate.

"WILL BANG 4 JESUS." along with the doodle of a small pile of excrement with stench lines above it.

"Still as catty as ever," mumbled Chloe as Max erased the marker pen from the slate. She looks to Chloe who gives her a small nod. Gently, Max knocks on kate's door. No response came from behind it.

"Kate?" called out Max.

"Max? What do you want?"

Kate's voice was muffled behind the door and a little cracked. Cracked enough for Max to want to make sure she was in decent enough health even more than before.

"Is it okay if we come in?"

"We?"

Max pondered on how to respond. Kate and Chloe may not have been on friendly terms, but they also hardly knew each other.

"A friend. She's not a student."

For a brief moment, there was silence. Until Kate spoke with some reluctance.

"Fine."

To Max, it sounded as though Kate's voice was much closer. She soon found out why when the door slowly opened. Max took in the sight of Kate's plain, makeup lacking face and disheveled hair. She wore a white shirt with a baby blue neckline and various coloured fish on the front and light blue cotton pants. It was no surprise to Max that Kate did not look as bright as she used to. In fact, she looked quite miserable. Kate walked back to her desk as Max and Chloe slowly entered. Max took notice of how dark the room was. The windows were blocked by the blinds and neither the lamp or ceiling light was on. She stepped over a couple of fo discarded blouses on the floor. She soon saw that the whole carpeted floor was covered in strewn clothes.

"Wow!"

She heard Chloe excitedly exclaim behind her before seeing her rush to the side of the room to closely observe what seemed to be a cage. Max soon noticed that a large, fluffy white rabbit resided in it. Amusedly, she smiled at Chloe's instant infatuation with the pet.

"Hey little guy," cooed Chloe as she gently stroked it with her fingers while making quiet kissing sounds to it. Kate looks to Chloe's interaction with her pet in dull disinterest before turning her head away from her to look back down. She seats herself at her desk and leans back with an audible sigh.

"Can I help you?" said Kate as she looked at Max with sullen eyes.

"Actually I'm here for the opposite"

Kate shrugs before looking down at her desk. At nothing in particular. Max wonders how long she's been doing exactly nothing since the video leak.

"I'm just here to tell you that if you need any help-"

"Help?" said Kate with a heavy load of doubt in her tone.

"There's no help, Max. There's only recovering. Or try to at least," muttered Kate as she looked to Max with sad, doe-like eyes.

"You can, Kate. You just have to try and think that just because that video is out there it doesn't have to define your whole life. You're only eighteen!"

There was no change in Kate's expression. She showed no increase in the confidence that wasn't there.

"All anyone has to do is look up my name, and I'm there. Making out with people I don't even remember making out with."

Chloe ceases her affectionate attention to the rabbit to join the conversation. At first, Kate looks to her with a raised brow until she slowly begins to recognize her.

"That shit'll probably get buried in a couple of years. I doubt you're the only Kate Marsh out there."

"Chloe?" said Kate.

"Yeah. Kinda surprised you recognized me."

Kate meekly smiles.

"I'm pretty good with faces."

"Clearly, except you can't from that night? Sorry if that's me prying."

Kate shakes her head.

"No, it's fine. I tried but it's like it's just not there. I must have been so wasted."

Max tried to imagine the memory block Kate seemed to have, but she could not. She could not claim to have had the kind of drinking experience she had.

"Yeah. I've been there way too many times." Chloe casually said while Kate smiled.

"Well, we have something to tell you. Sure, the video's not gonna go away, but neither will Victoria's own embarrassment," said Chloe with a mischievous smirk. Kate turns her head toward both the visitors with a confused expression. max started to feel nervous as she now wondered whether she really wanted to tell Kate.

"Huh?"

Chloe took great glee in explaining.

"Well, Victoria had a little technical issue with her presentation. Something quite embarrassing happened."

Kate looks to Max with an expecting and curious expression. max sighed to herself with reluctance.

"Victoria's photograph folder for presentation day had some porn added to it. Pretty hardcore stuff too. Her face was edited into them."

Kate's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yep," Chloe proudly stated with a grin. There was a short pause when Kate looked to Chloe's face. Sudden;y, her eyes widen in surprise.

"Wait, you guys didn't have anything to do with that did you?"

Max tried to speak, but could only stutter.

"W-well. W-we-"

"Let's just say we had a little bit of involvement," admitted Chloe with a proud smile. Max wondered if she should criticize that decision, but she felt that her hesitance alone was a give away regardless.

Max silently glared at Chloe. She wondered why she just couldn't stop herself from quietly giving away her celebration that was practically stamped on her forehead.

"Are you guys nuts!? What were you thinking!?"

Chloe shrugged with a frown. Clearly, she wasn't expecting rebuke.

"We were thinking she could have used some embarrassment. Kinda like what she put you through."

Kate placed a hand on her forehead with an exasperated sigh. Max awkwardly hugs herself as her nerves began to grow.

"I can't support that kind of retribution."

Chloe shrugs.

"Well, ya know. Eye for an eye., tooth for a tooth and all that jazz."

Kate shakes her head. She looks to Chloe sadly.

"What if she thinks I'm behind it?"

Chloe scoffs while placing her hand near her mouth.

"Why would she? You're too nice!"

"That video wasn't that long ago! She's going to immediately think of the only one who could have a motive!"

Chloe scoffs as Max slowly nods. Now beginning to really regret making Victoria a victim.

"Victoria may have suffered a little mishap, but she's still gonna be queen bee, unfortunately. That means you're still the wimp to her."

Max decides to voice her regret to Kate. Though she knew that nothing could be done about it by now.

"We're sorry, kate. We just thought-"

"Thought what, Max!? That you were helping? This is only going to make it worse!"

Kate sighs as she buries her hands in her face while Max and Chloe awkwardly stand silent.

"Look, I get that you were trying, but this is never going to go away. Giving someone else a problem won't solve mine."

Chloe shrugs as she frowns from the offense.

"If you want to be taking it on the floor, then go ahead. We've already done it anyway."

The punk girl now looks at Kate with sympathy.

"Well, you know that you can come to us if there's anything-"

Kate nods as she waves her hand. Almost dismissively to Max's eyes.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks."

Chloe walks toward the door without looking to Kate or Max.

"Come on. Let's go," she said curtly as Max looked to Kate's seated, depressed form. She sighs deflatingly before following Chloe out of the room. She sees her tall friend walking down the hall. Bypassing the approaching Victoria Chase who bore a face of shame. That suddenly went away when she noticed the petite Max ahead of her. She gave what max could only register as the dirties stink eye anyone has given her. Her heart races a little more as her step gets quite a bit quicker.

She exits the dorm shortly after Chloe. The sky had become a deeper hue of orange with less orange-tinted clouds than before. She rushes to Chloe, and follows her out of the dorm yard.

"A simple thanks would have sufficed don't ya think?" Chloe muttered.

"She was right. It wasn't our decision to make."

Chloe brusquely turns her head toward Max with a coldly angered glare.

"Then why did you suggest it, dumbass?"

Max awkwardly stuttered at first as nerves confrontation were starting to course through her.

"I-I j-just thought she'd take it well. Better than that."

"Well, she didn't," mumbled Chloe. She sighs as she tucks her hands into her pockets. Suddenly, to Max's pleasant surprise, she started to smile.

"Oh well. At least we got to stick it to Victoria. Now that's a night I'll cherish."

Max sighed in relief. She looks back to the dorm while thinking of Victoria's glare, and how much it unnerved her.

"You okay? You look tense."

The doe-eyed, nervous-looking girl looks at Chloe with a forced smile.

"I'm fine. I think. Just, you saw Victoria back there, right?"

Chloe nods.

"Yeah. And?"

"I didn't like the way she was looking at me."

Chloe giggles with amusement evidently present on her face.

"She looked at me like I was some piss ant present every day I came here as a student. Besides, what proof does she have?"

Max sighs to calm herself before happily and hesitantly nodding.

"Yeah. What proof?"

"Come on. Let's go to the cliff. You look like you could use a toke."

Max slowly nodded before resuming her walk with Chloe. Though they conversed cheerily about the funny side of Victoria's sabotaged presentation, boys, and the most attractive teacher of Blackwell. All while Max's thoughts were kept on Victoria, and whether she had a reason to be afraid or not.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max gets an unpleseant surprise.

Max was not completely certain, but she could confidently suspect that the several rolled up sticks of marijuana she smoked with Chloe tonight had played a part in her heavy fatigue. Which she found to be convenient so long as it was not discovered. A whiff of the drug on her hand after breathing on it motivated her to be a little more rigorous with her teeth brushing and liberal with the amount fo toothpaste and mouthwash she used. Now feeling comfortable enough with the weakness of the scent of her breath, she turns off the light in the bathroom of her dorm room, and walks toward the dark outline she recognized to be her bed in bare feet.

She pulls back the blanket, and climbs into the bed. At first: it was a little cold to her legs until she felt her whole body slowly getting warmer. At first, she suspected her eyes would remain open for quite a while as she usually needed to take a few minutes, sometimes over half an hour, before succumbing to rest. This moment, however, was different. Her heavy eyelids were too difficult to keep up. Now she was completely certain that the rolled-up drugs Chloe had been kind enough to share had taken a heavy sedative effect on her. Happily, she let her eyes rest down to cover her sight of the room in darkness followed by her slowly losing her conscious grip on the world of the awake.

Vaguely, she was certain that she had seen a bright light, and a room that she was sure was the photography class. Empty, or at least she felt it was empty, but bright with the sun shining in through the exposed windows. It was pleasantly warm. If only it were not a sight she could only observe without the lucidity she needed if she wished to interact with it. Then she could have a nice photograph. While she may not have had much agency in her actions, she could still feel how pleasantly warm it was in the room. A welcome change from the increasingly cooling atmosphere of her room now that fall had arrived. Uncontrollably, she smiled. Hoping that this escape would last for a long while.

"Now!"

The warm sensation was now quite a bit less so as the image of the classroom was replaced by the dark view of her room in an instant as an odd, hushed voice came to her ears. As soon as she had registered the change to her vision, feeling of the temperature, and the voice she had noticed a weight on her that kept her pinned down to the bed. She saw a dark shape straddling her on the bed. Humanoid and hooded. Max's first instinct was to open her mouth, but she did not get a chance to use it when a soft, fluffy ball was roughly shoved into her mouth by a hand that felt cold and rough to the touch. That, followed by the duct tape wrapping around her head made her attempt to scream a futile one. She could now see that there were two other shapes like the one weighing her down. One stood at the side while gagging her while the other quickly moved to the foot of the bed to begin taping her ankles together.

She tried escaping with an improvised plan to utilize as much rapid movement as she could starting with raising her head from the pillow. Only for it to be struck back down with a fist from the figure atop her. As she felt a sting at the side of her head while falling back, the voice hushed out instructions to the figure at the side.

"Turn her around!"

At that, Max felt a cold pair of hands roughly grab her head and turn it to the side as she grunted. Her body felt lighter as the figure stepped off from her to the floor, before pushing her body to lie on the front. Max felt the figure climb on top of her again before she felt her hands being pulled to her back. She felt the familiar sticky, clinging substance of the tape binding her hands together. As much as she squirmed, she was not able to free herself of both the bindings and the weight on her back.

At the very corner of her sight, she noticed the shadowy figure lean into her side. Uncomfortably, close to her ear.

"You're in for a real treat, Caulfield," hissed the mysterious assailant. Max could not say she could really recognize the voice, but she could identify it as a female's. When she thought of the events earlier in the day: she quickly concluded as to who these figures likely were. She tried calling out names, but they would only be heard as incomprehensible muffles. First, she was accusing them of being who she suspected, then she just resorted to the names of her dorm mates. Not that either was proving to be fruitful.

"Bag her!" ordered the figure. Max soon saw her already dark vision turning completely black as she felt a soft, thin material being pulled over her head followed by a tightening around her neck as she felt the soft bag squeeze a little against her face. She felt her heart race as she panicked over her breathing. Quickly, she substituted her mouth with her nose for deep inhaling. She doubted that her assailants had an interest in being gentle. Her being roughly dragged off the bed to be forced to stand on the carpeted floor helped in proving that assumption.

"Get the door. Let's go."

She wondered how they had managed to get in as she heard the door slowly open. She was sure that it had been locked. It crossed her mind that perhaps someone among these three was no slouch at lockpicking. Something she found to be ironic other than having her dorm room invaded. Reluctantly, she walked toward where she was being led to by tightly gripping hands. Wriggling her hands only showed her exactly how tightly bound her wrists were. She soon felt her feet getting cold as she stepped onto the non-carpeted floor of the dorm hall that chilled her skin at the very first moment she stepped on it. She got the idea that perhaps her slumbering dorm mates would hear her muffled screams now that she was a little closer to them. Her first attempt was soon made her last when a hand tightly grips over her mouth.

"Quiet!" the voice hushed angrily. Max wasn't sure if either of the three had a weapon. It was not as though she had any aimed or pushed against her, but she decided she did not want to risk finding out. So, with great trepidation, she was quietly lead outside where the biting cold air struck her exposed legs and arms. Behind her gag, she felt her teeth slowly beginning to chatter. The worst of it was on her feet as she stepped onto the cold, hard, granite ground. It felt as though ice was seeping into her veins. As she was led toward what she guessed was the path toward the front of the academy, she suddenly felt herself being pushed down to her knees at the top of her head.

"Fuck!"

She wondered why they had become so alarmed. Until she heard a familiar, though, slurred voice along with light steps, and an opening door. Oddly, the voice seemed familiar despite the slurring.

"Damn school's gonna be the end of me. Damn Prescotts, damn Vortex Club, damn party."

She was quickly rushed to the side. Max suspected that the others with her got down to their knees too. She considered trying to get his attention, but a hand suddenly clasping over her mouth tightly along with the whisper following it made that idea an unfeasible one.

"There better not be a single peep," threatened the voice. Max silently nodded in response.

"Oh well. Soon you'll be retiring, Principal Wells. Hopefully, soon anyway."

He drunkenly giggles to himself while before Max hears the popping of a bottle cap. She winced when she realized what Wells was doing. Hearing the usually upright Principal of Blackwell like this was getting a little embarrassing, and sad to be exposed to.

"Great! Now, what!?"

"Quiet!" the voice hushed to the two accomplices. Max tried to listen a little more closely to it. She still suspected that it was who she believed it to be, but the voice was too hushed and lacking in accent. She guessed that this was deliberate. She heard a couple of gulps from who she assumed to be the currently intoxicated principal.

"Oh, I take a seat and count down the numbers and the seconds with nothin' but a bottle to keep me warm."

Once the group heard him begin to slur out a tune to himself, Max felt herself being gripped a little tighter at her shoulders and arms. She assumed that the current plan for them now was to wait until Wells wasn't in a position to spot them if they moved too far ahead.

"Oh, and it may be a comfy seat, but the desk sure is a burden. Hee hee! I take a gander and scratch my head before saying 'That's just how the world spins!'"

They quietly listen to him step down from the stairs before he walks away toward the parking lot. Once he disappeared from sight, that was far enough for the leading kidnapper.

"Alright, he's gone. Move it."

Max felt her feet suddenly drag across the ground. Once the scraping against her skin became too unbearable, she decided to lift up her feet. Not that they complained since it proved to make carrying her more efficient. For most of the lifting, she heard their steps as light thuds only to later be replaced by silence. She guessed that they had now taken to a place with grass as the surface. Now, she felt more comfortable in placing her feet back down without caring about potentially getting muck. Keeping them elevated was getting tiring for her leg muscles. Once her feet were back down, she was stopped then roughly turned around. A hard push sent her back colliding with a thick, narrow surface that rang out with a clang. As her back ached from the impact, Max realized she was taken to the football field.

"Get the rope!"

With little chance to react, Max tied against the object behind her with a tight squeeze around various areas of her torso. Her breath hitched a little from surprise as she felt her body getting squeezed a little tighter around what she was now certain was the field's flag pole. She very much hoped it wasn't. Once she was secured and she could felt hat she was secured, Max dreadfully wondered what was coming next. She could not say that a "prank" of this kind had happened in Blackwell's history before to her knowledge. So, she had little to confidently expect.

For a moment there silence. Then, unexpectedly, Max's vision had returned to her when someone had taken the bag from her head. She squinted her eyes a little to adjust to the bright, pale lights around the football field. After quickly getting used to the brightness, she could now see the three abductors clearly in front of her with shock at their appearance. Identically, dressed in black hooded jackets, skirts, and sneakers with socks varying in colour. One with a black pair, one with a white pair, and one with a light blue pair. Most striking and unnerving about them was certainly the hideous faces they had. Large beaked noses, warts, wrinkles, baggy eyes, discoloured faces. One of them was even green.

A longer look at them soon made her realize that these "faces" were not the real kind. Even the dark, scraggly hair was clearly inorganic to her when she saw it under the lighting surrounding them. She tried speaking to them despite the muffling. She thought it would be enough for them to understand that she was asking to be able to speak more clearly.

"Sorry, Max. But we aren't that easy to fool," proudly stated the figure in black socks. Max was now able to more clearly hear the voice now that this figure had opted out of whispering. It became more clear to her who it was now though she had already suspected.

"Mppghh!"

Max tried to stare. Be as intimidating as she could present herself despite the very compromising position she was in. She tried picturing how she looked right now in just her blue deer shirt, and grey cotton shorts with a somewhat groggy expression. She wondered if she would be chuckling like her kidnappers were right now if she was in their position. She had to admit to herself that she probably looked quite ridiculous.

"You should see yourself right now! I'd take a picture if it wasn't so stupid."

In a desperate attempt to look for any weakness in her binds: Max wriggled and strained as much as she could around the ropes. Earning little more except more amused chuckling and a discovery of how skilled one of Victoria's cohorts was with tying knots. With a sigh, she stops and resigns herself to staying in this position. For as long as they were willing to let her stay this way anyway. She just hoped that it would not be for long.

"Now that I have your complete attention I expect you to put more effort into listening than trying to escape."

Max sighs again. She looks to the masked face of who she was now certain was Victoria. The haughty voice and accent were unmistakable now. Her two compatriots stood in silence as the "Vortex Queen" began to in a quite uncordial way.

"You are quite a bitch, Max despite what many others seem to think, but there is only one room for the top bitch here and that certainly isn't you."

Max murmured an agreement. mainly meant for herself. She had little intention of letting Victoria hear it just in case. Even if she was the one who stated it.

"Embarrassing me like that in Jefferson's class was a bold move by you and Kate, but nowhere nears as much as this, huh? If you two think you can sabotage my chances of winning that contest, I'll make sure you get there way before me!"

Max rolled her eyes at her perception of the reasoning behind the incident. She was not surprised very much at all. Though the mention of Kate encouraged her to make a questioning murmur and glance to her if only to lead suspicion away from the emotionally affected classmate.

"Oh, please. As if you two didn't cobble it up together, but no way she came up with that idea. So, that leaves you and that dropout. Hopefully, they'll get the memo when news of this little exhibit goes around."

The mention of "dropout" led Max's thoughts toward Chloe, and how she might react if this was exposed. There was little doubt that she'd immediately turn to Victoria as the culprit. At that point: she felt she had every reason to believe that Chloe would do something reckless. A shame that it had already dawned on her she wasn't getting out of these binds. Chloe may already be an ex-student of Blackwell, but becoming an inmate was not something Max wanted to see.

"Have fun, Maxie. You have the whole night to yourself."

The three masked students left with a trail of echoing giggles as Max could do nothing but watch the three shadowy figures grow more and more distant before disappearing completely. Despite her previous futile attempts, max tried her hardest to squirm with some renewed confidence now that the three had left. She also tried yelling through the gag several times at the top of her lungs with as much air as she could get in through her nostrils. It was increasingly clear now that she would be alone in this field for as log as she dreaded.

After her failed attempts at escape and drawing attention: she frantically surveyed the area for any sign of movement. Minutes had past and all that she could see was an empty, illuminated field with little else surrounding it apart from the bleachers. She sighs in dismay. Deciding that she better try and get used to the breeze, and she was just beginning to get used to it when she noticed a dark shape at one side of the field. Much like the dark figures in her room, but taller. Then she noticed the particularly bright detail of light within that shape's hand. Her racing mind immediately thought it to be a flashlight.

"MPPPGHHHH! AGGGGHHH!"

The sight of the figure alone was enough to get her motivated again to use her vocals. Though, she immediately stopped when she saw the light aim toward her. It seemed to her that al she had to do now was wait for assistance. Though the figure slowly approachign was a little unnerving. She could tell clearly now that whoever had found her was wearing dark clothes, and a baseball cap. She tried to keep her breathing and her heart rate steady as the figure was just steps several inches away from her. She had no idea of this stranger's intentions. Or at least she was beginning to think it was a stranger until she had finally begun to see the face.

"Well, well. Little wonder how you ended up like this."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max gets some unexpected assistance.

"You still seem pretty cold, Ms. Caulfield."

Max slowly takes another intake of the hot cocoa from the disposable plastic cup in her hands while enjoying the additional warmth from the soft, blue blanket provided to her by the academy's middle aged and bespectacled janitor, Samuel. Max almost could not believe her luck that she was in his janitorial quarters. She thought that she would have been left to be discovered by the Blackwell populace in such an embarrassing position likely following her for the rest of her life. She had little doubt that particularly amused onlookers would become as camera happy as she usually is. Though she liked to think she had more decorum than that.

The burning, sweet taste of the chocolate in her mouth and, eventually, coursing through her body along with he blanket was a welcome reprieve from the bitter cold she was previously in. She looked t the janitor with a warm, gentle smile. One of complete gratitude.

"Not sure if there's much of a way I can thank you, Samuel."

The older man chuckled, as he seated himself on the stack of wooden pallets at the side of the room. Ordinarily, Max would see him in the light green scrubs that was his uniform, but now she was seeing him in a dark brown coat and grey jeans. Clearly, for the colder climate.

"I don't require gratitude, Ms Caulfield. However, I am curious as to how you ended up tied to the flag pole."

Max awkwardly gulps down her drink of the cocoa. She holds the cup above her legs. Nervously, she wondered if she should be divulging the circumstances that lead to her predicament. Especially, because she had no real means of convincing him who intended to leave her to be Blackwell's latest prank of the month. Or at least second.

"I'm almost certain it was Victoria and her posse, but I can't really prove that."

The custodian shows no surprise on his face as he shrugs.

"Can't say it's a surprise. She's really convinced you sabotaged her presentation."

Max raises a brow.

"You know about that?"

He has an amused smile. Clearly, enjoying her quizzical look.

"People talk. Victoria's a high-profile student."

"Oh," said Max. Now she was feeling like she did not have to ask.

"Do you believe it?"

He shrugs.

"Wouldn't surprise me if anyone did it. Victoria has followers. Not friends."

A pang of sympathy came to Max when she was reminded of that fact. Though it was a small one.

"But for a hypothesis. Assuming you had something to do with it. What would the reason be?"

There was hesitation. Max was almost certain that he was gauging for a motive. Yet, she also could hardly imagine Samuel letting whatever she says reach the ears of anyone else. She never knew him to approach anyone. Well, apart from now.

"Well... let's say on someone's behalf. Even if that someone didn't ask for it."

He smiled. She wasn't sure if he was amused, pleased or both.

"Ah, I see," said Samuel as he looks to the floor in thought. There was a pause that Max had found near unbearable as she waited for a further response. The older man looks up with a small, polite grin.

"Well, I won't argue that Victoria could use a little humbling, but a person like her does not take bruises to her social status lightly. As much as I understand I wouldn't say it was the ideal course of action."

A frowning Max looks to him with some disbelief. She always knew him to be passive, but he seemed like the kind of person who would help someone else with his action tonight.

"But would letting her get away with it really be the right thing?"

He shrugs.

"I wouldn't say that retaliation, particularly if it's unprovoked, is either."

Max could not help but disagree.

"I wouldn't call it unprovoked," she claimed as she took another drink.

"It is if it wasn't on behalf of the real victim."

The young student is silent. She thinks back to Kate's less than enthused reaction when she realized who really made a mess of Victoria's presentation. Max could only imagine how the young woman felt now that she believed Victoria was seeking retaliation against her even if she doesn't realized that Victoria placed the blame squarely on another. The photographer sighed as she looked to Samuel with uncertainty in her eyes.

"Then how do you make it right?"

Samuel shrugs.

"I never gotten into anything like that myself, but, personally, I think it should involve Kate."

Max pondered the words. Now she was becoming quite doubtful.

"Get Kate and Victoria to meet? I somehow doubt that's going to end well."

"Maybe not," said Samuel with a confident smile.

"But you at least helped by getting Victoria to vent on you even if you didn't mean it. She may be a little more inclined to listen now that she's let out some of that energy of hers."

She wasn't so sure. It was not as though Victoria had ever seen Kate as being someone worth her ire. More like someone worth her mockery. That was not to say that she wasn't considering the idea the more she thought about it. Eventually, she decided that the aggressive options were to be put on rest in favour of the more diplomatic solution.

"And if Victoria throws it back?"

Again. He shrugs.

"Then that's just her. You can;t force change in others as far as I could tell throughout life."

As she sighs with hesitation. Samuel steps up from the pallet.

"Either way, it'd be less destructive than what has already happened. I assume you'll be wanting to return to your room?"

She looks to him with a small smile. Greatly, anticipating the warmth of her bed.

"Thanks."

At that, Max was guided back to the dorm by Samuel who unlocked the door for her with a key from an impressively large set of them. After bidding farewell to him, she entered the dorm and quietly crept toward her room. Not without looking to Victoria's door in a mix of caution and contempt. Due to her bare feet being on the mud of the field for too long, she took a warm shower before retiring to her warm, soft bed. Too awake to fall asleep, but she made good use of her energy to think about how to try and make Kate and Victoria approach neutral ground rather than a one sided hostile one. Something she spent the rest of the night dreading due to it's likely failure. Despite that, she tried to be optimistic. The thought of them having a friendly relation was enough to make her smile.

AN: I apologize for not updating in so long. I lost motivation for a while.


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